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DELIA DERBYSHIRE PIONEER OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC, WHO ALSO PRODUCED THE DISTINCTIVE SOUND OF DOCTOR WHO

FULL NAME: Delia Derbyshire

BORN: MAY 5, 1937, COVENTRY, U.K

DIED: JULY 3, 2001, NORTHAMPTON, U.K.

NATIONALITY: BRITISH

An evil dalek, from the hit show Doctor Who

FOR THE LOVE OF SOUND

Delia loved math and music, especially the overlaps between the two—the patterns of “acoustics.” Even the sound of air-raid sirens and running feet had a musical impact upon her during World War II (which she lived through). After graduating in math and music from Cambridge University, she followed her passion and applied to Decca Records. She was told flat out that women were not employed in the recording studio there. Eventually, she got a job as a trainee studio manager at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). She then moved to the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, where she did some of her best work. One of her first works, and the one for which she became most famous, was the Doctor Who theme song. TV composer Ron Grainer had put together a score, but it was Delia who made it work as the iconic sound audiences loved. When it was done, Ron barely recognized it, but he loved it. It was the first TV theme entirely created by electronic means—and probably the first time the public had heard electronic music.